Practical hospital survival kits

Practical hospital survival kits

When I was pregnant, I spent a lot of time searching for items to pack in my hospital bag.  While I came across a ton of great sites with great ideas, some of them just weren't practical and most of them forgot dad.

My cousin and his wife are expecting twins this summer and while they are not first time parents (baby 4 & 5 on the way!) they still are going to be stuck at the hospital for some period of time and I'd hate for them to be stuck without the basic needs (besides, you know they aren't going to forget to pack the cute outfits to bring the babies home in!)

Here is my idea of a "practical survival kit"

For mom, I bought the following (from target of course & in travel size!)

1. Body lotion.  Whether the mom to be is suffering from dry skin or in need of a foot and back massage, she will be prepared!

2. Shampoo & conditioner  As soon as I could shower, I did!  No one wants to use that generic hospital stuff after you just pushed a person out of you.. You want to smell good!  

3.Body wash.  Same reason as the shampoo and conditioner.  Hospital stuff just doesn't cut it.

4. Loufa! Because they are nicer than a wash cloth :) 

5. Deodorant.  This item so easy to forget!  Most of the time you only have one deodorant and remembering to throw it in your hospital bag as you rush out the door to go have that baby.. not likely to be on the top of your priorities.  Better to be safe than smelly! 

6. Tissues.  Have you used a hospital tissue?  Enough said.

7. Razors.  Thank God I was able to shave my entire pregnancy, because I would have gone crazy!  However, some women have to give this up for a few months until that cute little bundle or in this case bundles of joy make their appearance.  Nothing makes me feel better than silky soft legs!

8. Facial wipes.  Your in labor for hours, your hot and sweaty and you haven't had a chance to wash your face.. Oh and you had an epidural, so your not getting out of that bed.. Facial wipes are a life saver.  Not to mention they are great for once you are at home.  Trust me, finding time to shower is harder than you might think.

9. Hair ties.  They break, you loose them, you forgot to pack them.. but the mom to be is going to NEED them!

10. Chapstick.  Nothing is worse than dry lips and no chapstick.  For some reason your lips get super dry during labor and you can't have any water.. so this item is a must!

11. Tooth brush and tooth paste.  This goes along with the deodorant.  So easy to forget and it's a must have.  You don't want those cute babies smelling mom and dads stinky breath!     

Now for dad!

1. Body wash. If dad will be staying with mom, he might need to freshen up!  

2. Hand lotion.  He is going to want nice soft hands to hold those sweet little babies!

3. Deodorant.  Unless mom remembers to pack him some before hand.. He will probably forget.

4. Hand Sanitizer.  (unscented)  Dad is in charge of making sure everyone washes their hands (mom has lots of resting and baby taking care of to do)  but sometimes you just need a little squirt to make sure.  And I say unscented because some of the scented ones are too strong for little babies!

5. Mints and candy!  Because it's a long wait for dad too!

6. Toothbrush and toothpaste.  The obvious reasons. :)

I would also suggest a roll of quarters for dad to use at the vending machines.

And of course I had to make them all cute :)  I simply printed Daddy & Mommy hospital survival kits on large mailing labels and stuck them on the front of small baskets I found in the dollar spot!

What items would you suggest to throw into a practical survival kit?